


The Castle of Minato Ward

by jskd4



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood, First Meetings, Gen, Implied/Referenced Medical Condition, Pilot Fic, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26481262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jskd4/pseuds/jskd4
Summary: "To young Shintarou, the Tokyo estate was nothing short of the fairytale castles he had read about in storybooks."When Midorima Shintarou gets dragged along on one of his dad's impromptu work calls, he finds himself being waited on by a maid in a large, unfamiliar mansion. What's more, the strange young master refuses to leave him alone!
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou & Midorima Shintarou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. The Boy

Shintarou pressed his face up to the backseat window, the rims of his glasses clinking against the laminated glass. As the car passed through the metal gates, a stately, green-roofed manor revealed itself before his wide-eyed gaze. When he looked around the meticulously maintained yard, he saw several annex buildings identical in style to the main mansion. Amidst the expertly pruned trees and bushes surrounding the house, early-spring buds were just starting to bloom. To young Shintarou, the Tokyo estate was nothing short of the fairytale castles he had read about in storybooks.

When a black-clad butler greeted them at the entrance, Shintarou restrained himself from staring, because staring was rude. Bursting with questions, he followed his father through the imposing mahogany doors and into an elegantly decorated entry hall. In contrast with the exterior of the mansion, the area just inside the doors had been altered to resemble a Japanese-style _genkan_. As soon as the father-son pair removed their shoes, the butler presented them with perfectly sized slippers made of high-quality leather.

To his surprise, a pair of maids bowed at them as they stepped into the main hall. Unable to conceal his awe for any longer, Shintarou tugged on his father’s hand and whispered, “Dad, do you work for a king?” 

Midorima Ryouhei chuckled and shook his head. “A king! No, Akashi-san is only my friend, not a king,” The tall, bespectacled doctor paused, then added, “Although sometimes he certainly acts like one.”

The butler led the two of them across the hall to a western-style sitting room. A low table was placed in the center of the room, a pair of three-seat sofas on either side. Gentle flames crackled in the fireplace, filling the room with warmth. The mid-morning sunlight shone in from ceiling-high windows, illuminating a large oil painting of a stern-looking man above the mantelpiece. 

Ryouhei turned to the butler. “Is Masaomi ready?”

The butler bowed and replied, “Yes, Akashi-sama will be waiting in his room.”

“Tell him I’ll be right there,” Ryouhei said, dismissing him. 

Shintarou glanced around the lavish room. A suit of armor in the corner stared at him. He suppressed a shudder. Once the butler had gone, Shintarou asked his father, “Can I come with you?”

Ryouhei crouched down to meet his son’s eyes. “Sorry, Shintarou, you’ll have to stay here. Work stuff stays confidential. You have your book, right?” 

Shintarou nodded and hugged his lucky item, a book on astrology, to his chest. Cancer was only ranked ninth today, so he had chosen his best one — a dense encyclopedia titled _The Complete Guide to Astrology_.

“I’ll be right back once all of the checkups are done.” Seeing that his son still looked a bit apprehensive, Ryouhei smiled and added, “I’ll have someone come down with snacks. There’s always some kind of amazing pastry in the kitchen.”

Shintarou didn’t really care about the pastries, but he nodded anyway. His father patted him on the back approvingly, then exited the room with quick strides.

Sighing, Shintarou settled himself on one of the fancy sofas and set his heavy book on his lap. He tried his best to ignore the suit of armor. The grandfather clock next to it suddenly chimed, making him jump in his seat. Despite what his dad had said about not working for a king, Shintarou was convinced that he was sitting inside a castle.

He shook the thought out of his head and opened up to his bookmark. 

_“Those born under Sagittarius…”_

* * *

Shintarou had managed to get through a whole five pages of his book and was congratulating himself on figuring out all of the difficult _kanji_ , when he heard a commotion outside the room. 

“...don’t know where the Young Master went off to this time!” A male voice fretted in a loud whisper. “When you’re done with this, help us look. You know how upset Akashi-sama gets if the Young Master—”

“Shh, not here,” a female voice interrupted, and the first person fell silent.

A second later, the sitting room doors opened, and one of the maids who’d greeted them at the entrance walked in. She balanced a circular tray, upon which a small assortment of eclairs and miniature chocolate croissants were arranged.

The maid placed the tray on the low table before him and bowed slightly. “Shintarou-sama. Please enjoy a few refreshments from the kitchen.”

Shintarou gaped. “ _-sama_?”

“Are you uncomfortable with this method of address?”

“You can just call me Shintarou,” he told her, the tips of his ears red.

The maid smiled kindly. “Understood, Shintarou-kun. Do you have any other requests?”

Shintarou shook his head.

“Then, please enjoy the refreshments. You may ring the bell if you have any needs or concerns.” The maid gestured towards the door.

He followed her gaze, and surely enough, there was a small golden call bell on the wall by the sitting room door. Shintarou nodded, his mind swirling with a thousand questions.

When the maid exited the room, Shintarou relaxed from the formal, upright posture he’d unconsciously assumed. He stared at the tray of sweets. 

He had just been served refreshments. By a maid. And there was a call bell.

His suspicion that this strange manor was some kind of noble residence turned into conviction. It wasn’t that the Midorima family was unaccustomed to the finer things in life. Shintarou was well aware, even at his young age, that his father was quite well-known in certain circles, and that his family was rather wealthy in comparison to the average Tokyo household. Still, this place was on a totally different level, Shintarou thought as he reached for a chocolate croissant. 

“Hello.”

Shintarou jumped half a foot off of the sofa. He looked up to see a pale face poking out from above the fireplace. Shintarou’s book dropped to the floor with a thud. His jaw dropped as well.

“Hello,” said the face again. Upon closer inspection, Shintarou saw that it was a young boy, probably around his age. The boy’s shock of bright red hair stood out in stark contrast to the dark hole from which he was now emerging. He balanced for a second on the mantelpiece, careful not to knock down the assortment of picture frames, then nimbly hopped down onto the carpeted floor. The fire flickered and danced around the boy’s silhouette as he landed with hardly a sound.

The red-haired boy drew himself up to his full height, and Shintarou became immediately aware of the large difference in stature between them. Even standing a good ten feet away, Shintarou easily looked right over the boy’s head. In doing so, his jaw dropped even lower. 

The hole that the boy had climbed out of looked like some sort of secret passageway. The large portrait above the fireplace had swung open, exposing a circuit of intricate metal fittings on its back. The boy stood on his tiptoes and pushed the portrait back into place. With a soft click, the passage was hidden again. 

“Who are you?” Shintarou blurted out. “How did you—”

The red-haired boy put a finger to his lips, eyes flashing in alarm. He whispered, “Speak a little softer, please. I don’t want to be found after going to all of that trouble to get here.”

Shintarou covered his mouth. He hadn’t realized how loudly his question had come out. Quieter, he asked again, “Who are you?”

“I am Seijuurou.” The boy stepped forward, hand outstretched. Standing fully exposed to a window, his snow-white skin was illuminated by a ray of morning light, his crimson hair set ablaze. His eyes glimmered like rubies as he looked at Shintarou expectantly.

Without time to properly process this strange turn of events, Shintarou stepped around the other sofa to meet Seijuurou before the fire. He awkwardly shook the prince-like stranger’s hand, not quite sure when to let go. He had only ever seen his father shake hands at formal parties. Shintarou quickly pulled away and stepped backwards.

“And you are Midorima-san’s son,” Seijuurou prompted.

Shintarou nodded, surprised to be recognized. “My name is Midorima. Midorima Shintarou.”

“Well met, Shintarou-kun.”

Shintarou scowled. First-name basis already? “You didn’t tell me your family name.”

Seijuurou’s smile faltered for a moment, his gaze drifting out the window. “It’s Akashi. Akashi Seijuurou.”

_Oh._ The young master, Shintarou guessed. Judging by the boy’s formal dress shirt and slacks, he was right on the mark. “They’re looking for—”

“I know,” Seijuurou cut him off. He met Shintarou’s eyes. “I came here to meet you. Would you like to explore the house with me?”

Shintarou’s eyes widened. He glanced towards the mantelpiece, wondering where the hidden passageway led. What if it went somewhere dangerous? Or worse, somewhere off-limits? The man in the painting stared back at him disapprovingly. “I’d rather not. You should go back, in fact,” Shintarou finally said. He was supposed to stay here anyway, so there was no point in disappearing down a rabbit hole.

Seijuurou blinked, taken aback. “Sorry?”

“You should go back,” Shintarou repeated. “Since they’re looking for you. I’m going to read my book.” It was probably better not to follow this boy, young master or not, around the unfamiliar mansion. He returned to the sofa and picked up his lucky item.

To Shintarou’s complete bewilderment, Seijuurou followed him. “Are you not curious?”

“About what?” Shintarou scooted a couple of inches away from the other boy. There was an entire other couch, so he really didn’t understand why Seijuurou insisted on sitting right next to him.

Seijuurou gestured around the room. “The house is rather larger than it appears from the front. This is your first time here, right? Most kids want to see everything.”

“My dad told me to wait for him.” Shintarou began to feel a tad annoyed. He was used to being a little different from other people, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed having it pointed out every single time. Plus, this kid had much too high of an opinion for his own home, even if it was practically a castle.

“Ah. Is that so.” Seijuurou went quiet, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Shintarou nodded and averted his gaze. He opened his book back up.

Seijuurou perked up. “What are you reading?”

Shintarou let out an inaudible sigh and snapped the book shut. “ _The Complete Guide to Astrology._ It’s my lucky item today, in fact. What’s your sign?” If conversation was going to be inevitable, it might as well be useful.

“My sign?” Seijuurou looked at him in puzzlement.

“You don’t know your star sign?” Shintarou asked incredulously. 

“Ah, you meant my star sign. No, I don’t. My father doesn’t believe in astrology. He says that it’s meaningless.”

“That’s not true!” Shintarou exclaimed, deeply affronted. “If you don’t know your sign, then how can you do your best at _anything_?”

Seijuurou tilted his head. “What does one’s star sign have to do with personal effort?”

“I always follow Oha-Asa and carry my lucky item.” Seijuurou just raised his eyebrow. Shintarou frowned and vigorously flipped through the well-worn pages of _The Complete Guide to Astrology_. “This is a pretty advanced book. Can you read?”

“Of course I can read.” Seijuurou looked mildly offended, but he nonetheless moved closer to Shintarou and peered at the book. His ruby eyes sparkled with curiosity as he scanned the dense page of dates and symbols.

“When’s your birthday?”

“December 20th.” Seijuurou ran his finger down a chart. “Which makes me a Sagittarius.”

“We don’t have good compatibility, then. I was born on July 7th, so I’m a Cancer,” Shintarou informed him.

Seijuurou crossed his arms. “I don’t know much about astrology, but I’m sure that’s not how compatibility works.”

Shintarou shook his head, flipping through some more pages. “I just read about it.” He pointed out a bolded line of text. “See, it says right here, ‘Cancer and Sagittarius will almost never find mutual attraction.’”

“You know, that’s talking about _love_ ,” Seijuurou laughed. 

Shintarou reddened. He pushed up his glasses and huffed. “Whatever.”

“Let’s go to the library,” Seijuurou gestured towards the large portrait above the mantelpiece. “I bet there are more books on astrology, if that’s what you’re interested in.”

“My dad told me to wait here,” Shintarou reminded him.

“I’m sure Midorima-san won’t mind if we’re quick. Come on,” Seijuurou walked up to the fireplace. “You want to see, don’t you?”

Shintarou hesitated. He traced his fingers over the spine of _The Complete Guide to Astrology_. His day hadn’t exactly been going great. His dad had promised to take him to a special museum this morning, but then another work call ended up cancelling their plans. Shintarou had even been dragged along this time, and now he was stuck in a strange castle-house with its self-important prince.

But he supposed that he wasn’t totally uninterested. A real, personal library. Inside this castle of a house. There could be a bigger astrology book, or even a rare and valuable one. 

Seijuurou reached up on his tip-toes and pried his small fingers behind the bottom edge of the portrait. He pushed at some hidden mechanism, and the portrait swung open above his head. After moving a couple of photo frames out of the way, he hoisted himself up and over the polished wooden mantelpiece, his feet dangling dangerously close to the fire. Shintarou’s heart skipped a beat as the flames licked at Seijuurou’s shoes, even curling up towards his ankles. Somehow, the red-haired boy managed to climb into the passageway safely.

“Well, are you coming?” Seijuurou asked expectantly (hopefully).

Shintarou checked the grandfather clock. Judging from experience, his father would probably be gone for at least another thirty minutes. He closed his book and slowly stood, sure that he was making a terrible decision. Still, he wasn’t eager to remain in the room with only a sinister-looking suit of armor for company. He reluctantly closed his book.

“You’ll have to help me up,” Shintarou announced.

Seijuurou smiled and held out a hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for reading! This work was originally intended to be a 4k one-shot. Somehow, it ended up double the length, so I decided to split it up into 3-4 shorter chapters.
> 
> This short story is my take on how Akashi and Midorima were as kids. Since it's set in a larger alternate universe, several details and references in this pilot fic might not make total sense. 
> 
> Enjoy young Shintarou's adventures around the castle! :)


	2. The Passage

Once Seijuurou closed the portrait behind them, they were plunged into complete darkness. Shintarou inadvertently let out a small gasp of surprise.

“Don’t worry,” said Seijuurou from somewhere in front of him, “it’s impossible to get lost, even without light. This passage only leads one way, unless you know how to open the other latches.” 

“I’m not scared, you know,” Shintarou told him.

“If you say so.” Now the other boy’s voice echoed as if coming from around a corner. 

“Hey, wait!” Shintarou called and rushed forward. "Ow!" He immediately smacked his head. Quickly feeling around the walls, he found that the passage narrowed considerably half an arm’s length from the giant-portrait-sized entrance. The tunnel turned to the left at a right angle, instead of continuing straight like he expected. The main passageway was rectangular in shape, about a meter high and half as wide. It was completely smooth to the touch, as if it had been constructed from the same polished wood as the interior walls of the house. Conscious of the low ceiling, Shintarou bent over, holding his lucky item under one arm, and cautiously went after Seijuurou.

After the initial turn, it continued for several meters before suddenly stopping at a dead end, where there was a short, steep incline leading upwards. Shintarou’s hands found two rounded bumps, a forearm’s length apart from each other, sticking out from the sloped floor in front of him. The protrusions were long and thin and reminded him of something he might find at a playground. 

“What are these things?” Shintarou asked.

“A ladder,” Seijuurou replied from above.

Shintarou thought that it was a rather strange sort of ladder, but he continued upwards anyway, hoping that Seijuurou wouldn’t slip and fall on top of him. 

When he reached the top of the incline, the passage turned sharply to the right. Its dimensions flipped and became wider than it was high. The two boys had no choice but to get on their hands and knees, which Seijuurou didn’t seem to mind at all. Shintarou, on the other hand, couldn’t help but quietly grumble about dirtying his clothes.

Seijuurou hadn’t been lying about the house being larger than it appeared — the secret passage was surprisingly long. Just how far was the library from the sitting room? Ever since the ladder, Shintarou had started to suspect that they were traveling inside the walls and ceiling. Twice, he called out to Seijuurou to ask, but the red-haired boy shushed him both times.

“Be quiet, or we’ll be heard,” Seijuurou admonished. 

There was another left turn, again at a ninety degree angle, and then another one to the right. Then Seijuurou stopped so abruptly that Shintarou almost ran into him. 

“Move back a bit.” There was the sound of wood sliding against wood. 

“What are you doing?” Shintarou shuffled back, hoping they were at an exit. If Shintarou was being completely honest, he was quite eager to leave the claustrophobic tunnel behind. Not that he would ever tell Seijuurou that, of course.

“You have to unlock the doors in order to get in and out of these passages,” Seijuurou explained. “Although the bolts on this one don’t seem to be cooperating right now.”

Shintarou took a moment to process this. His voice slightly rising in pitch, he demanded, “What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry, we aren’t stuck. This door is older, so sometimes the wooden bolts get jammed. It would be easier if I could just...” Seijuurou trailed off.

“What is it?”

“Turn around and cover your eyes.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it, please.” 

Shintarou grumbled but did as told, since Seijuurou had asked nicely. A brief moment later, he felt the air behind him grow warm. 

“What are you—”

“Oops, too big,” Seijuurou mumbled. The warmth faded. “Don’t open your eyes, Shintarou-kun.”

There was a metallic click identical to the one from the sitting room portrait, and cool, dry air rushed into the tunnel. 

“You can look now.”

Shintarou opened his eyes and turned around. He moved forward, blinking at the sudden rush of light coming from an opening on the left wall of the tunnel. 

“The library,” Seijuurou gestured out the exit with an open hand, beaming. 

Shintarou gasped. Mahogany bookshelves lined the walls of the high-ceiled room in front of them. The floor to ceiling windows, the spiral staircases at each corner, and the stunning painting that blanketed the ceiling made the library appear larger than it actually was. The thousands of books around them added to the atmosphere of old, established wealth that permeated the entire mansion.

“Watch your step climbing out,” Seijuurou warned, before hopping out of the hidden passageway and out of Shintarou’s sight. A very audible _thud_ signaled his landing on the carpeted floor, and Shintarou stuck his head out of the tunnel just in time to see Seijuurou break the fall with a roll that carried him smoothly to a standing position. Shintarou found this rather impressive, given his companion’s formal dress.

Shintarou more cautiously lowered himself down with his arms, legs dangling below him in the archway of a door. He was surprised to see how far the drop to the floor was — if it wasn’t for Seijuurou’s warning, he could easily have twisted his ankle jumping out. Looking up at the hole in the library wall, Shintarou saw that they had come out from behind another portrait. Under the secret passage, arched double doors opened up to a smaller antechamber. 

Shintarou stared at the back of the portrait, a few meters above them. The wooden bolts that Seijuurou had been struggling with looked much cruder than the metal contraptions which sprang the paintings open. They were also slightly smoking.

He pointed up incredulously. “What did you _do_ to them?”

Seijuurou followed his gaze. “Oops,” he muttered under his breath, clasping his hands together tightly. To Shintarou, he said, “Don’t worry about it, it’ll go out. Come on, let’s close it.” He stood on his tiptoes, reached up the side of the intricately carved door frame, and pushed at something with the very tips of his fingers. With a loud creak, the portrait swung shut. Another metallic click, and it was as if the secret passage never existed. Seijuurou closed and locked the double doors for good measure.

In the silence of the library, the two boys looked around the room, then at each other. Seijuurou smiled and prompted, “Well, what would you like to find?”

Shintarou held up _The Complete Guide to Astrology_. “Are there more like this?” 

Seijuurou nodded and walked across the library to a shelf near the windows, Shintarou following close behind. “These are the astronomy books, but my mother once said that there are a couple with stories about constellations and information on star signs.” Tracing the spines of the large tomes, Seijuurou ran his small fingers along the third shelf until he touched upon a dusty, midnight-blue volume. 

“ _The Stars Through the Ages,_ ” Seijuurou read aloud. He blew off the dust and set the book on a nearby table. He opened to the first page, which was blank, and then to the next, which was the copyright, and finally to the table of contents.

Shintarou put his lucky item down and leaned in to get a closer look at the text. He had barely puzzled out the short string of _kanji_ that meant “Introduction” when Seijuurou pointed at a line halfway down the page. 

“There. ‘Social Compatibility Based on Astrological Theory.’”

Shintarou gaped at the red-haired boy. “How did you get there so fast?”

“What do you mean?” Seijuurou tilted his head.

Shintarou reddened, feeling slightly foolish. “Never mind.” He was the best reader in his class at school, and to be so outstripped by the red-haired boy was a bit of a shock. Still, Shintarou reasoned, the young master of such an impressive castle must have an equally impressive education. He bet that Seijuurou even had private tutors and such.

“I do,” said Seijuurou. “Why?”

With a jolt of mortification, Shintarou realized that he had vocalized that last thought. ‘N-no reason. I just thought it was likely that princes had tutors and butlers and things like that.”

“Princes?” The corner of Seijuurou’s mouth quirked up.

Shintarou blinked. “I mean, young masters.”

Seijuurou still looked as if he was about to burst into laughter, so Shintarou hurriedly explained, “I only said that because your house is like a castle, in fact. Of course I knew that you aren’t really a prince, because my dad said that your dad isn’t actually a king.”

To Shintarou’s dismay, Seijuurou really did dissolve into giggles now. “Sorry,” he said, still laughing, “I’m not making fun of you. Only, that was really unexpected.” When he managed to regain his composure, Seijuurou continued, “You know, the only castle in Tokyo is the one in the Imperial Palace. There aren’t any in Minato Ward, as far as I know.”

Another rush of embarrassment warmed Shintarou’s ears. “I know that. But how come you have a suit of armor in the sitting room?”

Seijuurou made a face. “Ah, that. My father says it’s a family heirloom. My mother just thinks it’s ugly.”

“Is that so…” Shintarou contemplated the things he had seen in the mansion (which was definitely _not_ a castle, obviously). “Akashi-kun,” he started.

Seijuurou pursed his lips. “Call me Seijuurou.”

He resisted the urge to sigh. “Seijuurou-kun. Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.” 

Now he really did sigh. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Sorry,” Seijuurou said. He did not look sorry. “Go on.”

Shintarou frowned in disapproval, but let it slide. “I’ve been wondering for a while, but how come the maids are looking for you? Did you sneak away from your tutors or something?”

The smirk faded off the smaller boy’s face. “That’s…” Seijuurou averted his gaze and began to examine _The Stars Through the Ages_ with great interest. 

“So you really _did_ sneak off?”

“No!” Seijuurou shook his head. “No, I would never try to skip my lessons.” He looked appalled at the very idea. “This is simply...” he hesitated. “A sort of game, I suppose.”

“A game?”

“You see, my mother—” Seijuurou stopped.

“You mother?” Shintarou prompted. He was beginning to lose his patience. How hard was it to answer a question?

Seijuurou put a finger to his lips. _Listen,_ he mouthed, intently watching the double doors below the portrait.

Shintarou did, and heard the sound of soft, deliberate footsteps. As the two boys stood frozen, they grew louder and louder. A low, muffled voice from the antechamber said, “That’s odd; I’m sure I left it open.”

“Quick!” Seijuurou whispered. “Over there.” He pointed at a bookshelf across from them.

The boys tiptoed across the room as quickly as they could, hyper-aware that they were right in full view of the massive windows. Shintarou hoped that nobody was looking in from outside.

Seijuurou climbed up the shelves with practiced ease. When he reached the top shelf, he pulled on the rightmost book, and there was a familiar click. The entire bookshelf swung a few centimeters away from the wall like a door. 

They heard another click, this time from the lock to the double doors. Without a second’s hesitation, Seijuurou scrambled down, slid behind the bookcase, and pulled Shintarou in with him. He kicked a hidden lever on the ground. The bookshelf swung shut, encasing them in the darkness of a secret passage once again.

Seijuurou ran down the passageway, pulling Shintarou behind him. Shintarou tried to ask where they were going, but Seijuurou refused to answer, only running faster and faster until Shintarou could barely keep up. He was glad that this passage was significantly roomier than the first one, even when it abruptly narrowed at the first turn. When Shintarou bumped his head against the lower ceiling, Seijuurou paused for a heartbeat, then hurried onwards.

Fortunately, this passage was much shorter and there were no random ladders. They took two more turns before Seijuurou abruptly stopped running, nearly causing Shintarou to run straight into him again. 

“What,” Shintarou panted, “was that, for?”

Seijuurou didn’t answer immediately, his breaths coming harsh and ragged. He took a minute to steady his breathing, then explained, “That was the head butler. He reports directly to my father. If he catches me...”

Shintarou gulped. He wondered if this was how it felt to be a fugitive. After all, he was practically kidnapping the prince of the castle.

“Outside of this door is the piano room. It shares a wall with my father’s office and the reading room, so you must not make any noise. We’ll try to get back to the sitting room from there.”

Shintarou nodded, then realized Seijuurou couldn’t see him in the darkness. “Okay.”

“Let’s go.”

Shintarou followed closely as Seijuurou undid the metal bolts and cracked the secret door open. This time the door was one of the wooden panels lining the bottom of the walls. 

Seijuurou peered out of the crack, checked that the coast was clear, then pushed the panel all the way open. The two boys stepped out, conscious of every noise they made. They skirted around the grand piano to the door leading to the hallway. Seijuurou peeked outside. He gave Shintarou a thumbs up and slipped out of the piano room. 

As Shintarou softly shut the door behind him, the distinct sound of another door closing nearby reached their ears. He froze. Seijuurou frantically pulled on his sleeve, gesturing towards the end of the hallway.

Footsteps approached. The footsteps were different from the ones in the library, light and brisk and apparently in a great hurry. _My dad,_ Shintarou mouthed to his companion, recognizing the distinctive step as those of Midorima Ryouhei.

Like any pair of logical human beings, the two young boys moved in the other direction as fast as they could without making noise. They turned right around a corner and found themselves in a section of hallway lined with windows. Further ahead, there was another turn. There seemed to be a commotion in that direction, so they paused and listened.

To their alarm, they made out the head butler’s low, hoarse voice. He was exclaiming, “...look at this, they must have been in the library!”

Seijuurou bit his lip. He gestured towards a white door to their left. Light shined in from the windows around it.

Shintarou’s eyes widened. He shook his head vigorously. He had already disobeyed his dad’s instructions when he agreed to go on this jaunt around the castle — he wasn’t about to dig himself into a deeper well of trouble by daring to venture outside. 

A look of exasperation flickered across Seijuurou’s face. He walked over to the door and slowly opened it. He looked back at Shintarou with the same expectant glance that had gotten them into this mess in the first place. _Come on,_ Seijuurou mouthed.

The quick footsteps grew louder. The elder Midorima would be turning the corner at any second now. 

Seijuurou urgently beckoned with his hand, stepping across the threshold. When Shintarou still didn’t move, he made a motion to shut the door.

Shintarou frantically held up a hand. 

The red-haired boy raised an eyebrow. The footsteps were right around the corner.

Resisting the urge to stamp his feet in frustration, Shintarou scowled and followed Seijuurou through the white door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter ended up being a 2000-word description of Akashi's mansion. 
> 
> The real-life model doesn't have any secret passages (as far as I know) and is much smaller than this universe's version, but it was still quite an interesting house to research. If anyone is interested, I will make a more detailed Tumblr post about the mansion. 
> 
> Next Up: The Garden


	3. The Garden

A blast of chilly March air greeted them as they stepped outside. As Seijuurou carefully shut the door behind Shintarou, the lingering warmth of the house retreated behind the white door. Luckily, both boys were too filled with adrenaline to really notice the cold. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder (or rather, elbow-to-shoulder), they pressed their ears against the door and waited for the muffled footsteps to fade away. 

Once the doctor had gone, Seijuurou let out a breath. “Well, that was exciting,” he said, smiling from ear-to-ear. 

“We could’ve been found!” Shintarou protested in a loud whisper.

“I’ve never been caught before, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Seijuurou stepped away from the white door and beckoned again. “Come, I’ll show you the garden. My mother and I come here often.”

“You’re so—”

Seijuurou raised an eyebrow.

Shintarou took a huge breath, then released it and slumped his shoulders in resignation. “...never mind.” 

The red-haired boy led him down a brick-paved walkway lined with low, meticulously trimmed bushes. Shintarou kept an eye on the mansion’s numerous windows, vigilantly watching for any sign of movement, until he practically ran into a concrete fountain where the path turned. After that he decided to pay attention to where they were going. 

On the other side of the fountain, the house finally disappeared from view. Before long, they found themselves under a circular wooden archway. The brick pathway gave way to a sparse brown gravel that crunched beneath their shoes as they walked into a picturesque garden. 

Everywhere Shintarou looked, there were rows of budding plants of all different shapes and sizes. It was still too early for most of them, but a few blooms here and there stood out, vivid bursts of color in a verdant sea. He marginally slowed his steps as they walked by a huge shrub that vaguely resembled a small tree. Large white flowers bloomed between the leaves, each one as large as Shintarou’s hand. 

“That’s a Camellia,” Seijuurou said, seeing his companion’s interest.

“It’s already blooming.”

“That’s because different flowers have different blooming seasons,” Seijuurou informed. He pointed to a smaller bush. “That one’s a white peony bush. It won’t bloom until much later in the spring.”

“What’s that one?” Shintarou pointed at a small, dark flower a few paces ahead. He couldn’t tell whether it was dark purple, brown, or dark red, since it looked almost black.

“That one’s called _Kuroyuri._ There are only a few right now.” Seijuurou considered the dark flower with a thoughtful expression, then suddenly brightened. He turned to Shintarou and held out a hand. “Come, there’s one I want to show you. It’s on the other side of the garden.” 

Shintarou stared at the proffered hand. “Aren’t we too old to be holding hands?”

Seijuurou frowned. “Says who? My mother says it’s fine.” 

“Well…” Shintarou tried to come up with an argument, but found that there wasn’t one.

“I won’t force you if you aren’t comfortable with it, though,” Seijuurou said. He retracted his hand and turned down the path. “Come on, follow me.”

Now that they were already out here, Shintarou supposed that it didn’t matter where Seijuurou decided to run off to. The little prince wouldn’t listen if he objected, anyway. He was getting rather used to the sight of the smaller boy’s narrow back. 

Seijuurou wrapped his arms around himself, silently shivering as he walked. His white button-up hung loose around his shoulders. Shintarou frowned, biting his lip. Seijuurou looked so light that a strong gust of wind might blow him away. 

_He's the one who decided to come out here,_ Shintarou thought crossly. _It’s his own fault if he gets sick._

Lost in his ruminations, Shintarou hardly noticed when they stopped under a garden arbor. Rubbing his hands together for warmth, Seijuurou crouched by a low-hanging flower pot. In the midst of the elegant, expertly cultivated flora growing everywhere they turned, the plain white flower pot stood out in stark contrast. Inside it bloomed several small clusters of five-petaled, pale blue flowers. Each tiny blossom had a burst of yellow in the center, a miniature star surrounded by its own blue sky.

“I planted this one.” Seijuurou told him proudly. “I found some in the forest, and my mother taught me how to plant them.”

Shintarou bent down next to him to get a better look. “What’s it called?” 

“ _Wasurenagusa,_ ” Seijuurou replied. “Forget-me-not.”

“Forget-me-not…” Shintarou slowly sounded out the foreign words.

“It’s English.”

“You can speak English?” 

“Yes. My father says that by the time I’m an adult, fluent English will be an absolute requirement to truly succeed in the global economy,” Seijuurou recited dryly. 

Not sure how to respond to that, Shintarou was silent for several moments. He eventually asked, “What about your mother?”

“My mother,” Seijuurou said, his tone softening, “says that I should learn English because it will allow me to make friends around the world.”

Shintarou blinked. Those were two very different takes on the subject.

“Of course, making friends in Japan should come first,” Seijuurou added. “My mother thinks that this is the most important part of elementary school.”

“You talk about your mother a lot,” Shintarou observed.

Seijuurou smiled. “Yes. We are close, and my mother is a kind person. She sees the good in everyone.”

That piqued his curiosity. It didn’t sound like his mother was the reason Seijuurou was hiding from the staff. After a moment of hesitation, Shintarou asked. “What’s your father like?”

Seijuurou crossed his arms and looked down. Eyes fixed on the forget-me-nots, he said, “My father is very strict. I’m the only heir of the Akashi family, so he has high expectations for my performance.” 

Shintarou wasn’t surprised.

“Of course, I always meet them,” Seijuurou stated. He sounded confident, but his arms tightened around himself as he spoke.

Again, Shintarou found himself searching for the right response. Seijuurou glanced at him, gauging his reaction. By accident, Shintarou met his gaze. He instantly shot up to his feet to create some distance. To his dismay, Seijuurou’s expression went blank.

Shintarou racked his brain. What was the right thing to do? What would his dad do? _Pay attention to the other person,_ his dad had told him countless times. Well, he _was_ paying attention, and the other person still didn’t make any sense. Shintarou looked at the boy in front of him. He thought about all of the things Seijuurou had said and done today, and an idea formed. 

Shintarou extended a hand. “Come on. It’s getting cold,” he mumbled, looking away.

Seijuurou blinked hard. He looked at Shintarou, around the garden, and back at Shintarou again. Slowly, he rose and took the proffered hand. 

Shintarou nearly let go, exclaiming in alarm, “You’re burning!” He pulled Seijuurou up from the ground and questioned, “Do you have a fever or something?” Shintarou moved to check the other boy’s temperature, like his father always did when he was sick, but Seijuurou immediately pulled away and took several steps back.

“I’m fine! It’s just — it’s the exercise. Let’s go.” Seijuurou turned away, and they continued down the garden path in an uncomfortable silence. Each boy refused to look at the other, pretending to be highly interested in random plants on opposite sides of the pathway.

Shintarou stared at a small bush, which was indistinguishable from the twenty others around it. Guilt and embarrassment swirled around in his head, along with a touch of panic that he couldn’t quite understand. What had possessed him to do such a thing? What was he supposed to have done? Why hadn’t Seijuurou said anything if he was feeling unwell? Why wasn’t Seijuurou telling the truth? Frustrated by his confusing thoughts, Shintarou snuck a glance at the red-haired boy for clues. 

Seijuurou gazed up towards the clear blue sky, his crimson eyes open wide, his lips slightly parted. Following his line of sight, Shintarou looked up and saw a solitary eagle soaring above them. 

“The ruler of the skies,” Seijuurou whispered. A second later, he turned his ruby gaze onto Shintarou. 

_Caught._ The tips of Shintarou’s ears reddened, but he forced himself not to look away. 

Seijuurou gave him a small, tentative smile. In a soft voice, he said, “It would be fun to fly like that. Don’t you think so?”

Glad that Seijuurou didn’t seem too offended, Shintarou watched the eagle disappear into the distance and gathered his thoughts. 

“...I guess. There are more useful Gifts than flight, though,” he replied. Just the other day, there had been news on the television about a flying kid. She’d gotten in trouble with the authorities for throwing a baseball through the sixtieth-story window of a skyscraper.

“Useful Gifts...” Seijuurou didn’t look too convinced.

“Or really powerful ones,” he suggested.

“The greater the Gift, the stronger the Curse.” 

“Compensation,” Shintarou corrected before he could stop himself. They weren’t supposed to say “Curse” anymore. The Japanese government had recently changed all of their textbooks in response to criticism from the Academy.

Seijuurou quietly retorted, “Calling it something else doesn’t make it better.”

“That’s true,” Shintarou hesitated, aware that he had somehow breached dangerous territory again. 

Another awkward silence ensued. Seijuurou quickened his pace down the garden path, and Shintarou nearly had to jog to keep up, even though he was the one with an overwhelming height advantage.

They turned a sharp corner. Focused on keeping up with Seijuurou, Shintarou’s shin smacked hard into a cold metal object on the side of the pathway. “Ow!” he hissed, hopping up and down on one foot as he held the injured leg. He could already feel the bruise forming. Luckily, Seijuurou didn’t seem to have noticed his blunder. Shintarou glared at the offending item. 

Placed rather inconsiderably at the edge of the path was a white metal box, the size of three shoe boxes stacked together. It was unmarked except for a few English words and a large red cross on its lid, a symbol that Shintarou could recognize anywhere. Curious, he squatted down (still nursing his shin) and reached for the metal clasps. 

“Shintarou-kun?” Seijuurou called from somewhere around the corner.

“I’m coming,” Shintarou replied. The lid was surprisingly heavy, but it cracked open when Shintarou tugged with both hands. The unpleasant screech made him wince. He threw the lid back and peered inside.

“What are you do— wait, don’t look in there!” Seijuurou ran towards him.

Too late. The inside of the box contained several red and white zippered pouches, laminated reference cards, a defibrillator, and something that looked like a small oxygen tank. Then there were some stranger items, like a folded-up blanket and a pair of child-sized sunglasses. 

“Pretend you didn’t see that.” Seijuurou shut the heavy lid and snapped the clasps back into place. “My father will be upset if he knows you looked.”

“I didn’t mean to snoop,” Shintarou told him. “I bumped into it.”

Seijuurou studied him with an inscrutable expression, causing Shintarou to look away from his sharp crimson gaze. “It’s alright, I won’t tell,” he eventually said.  
Shintarou knew that he was pushing it, but he still couldn’t help asking, “Why is there a fire extinguisher?” The distinctive red canister had looked very out of place among the medical supplies.

Seijuurou shrugged. “It’s the garden. Come on, we should be getting back to the house. Midorima-san and my parents will be nearly finished.” The red-haired boy started walking away without a second glance.

Shintarou sighed and trudged after Seijuurou. He wasn’t even the one who’d suggested this ill-advised adventure. He had no idea why the other boy was so difficult to understand. His book was right after all — Cancer and Sagittarius simply weren’t compatible. 

A pit of dread formed in his stomach. Shintarou stared at his empty hands. His breathing quickened. “Seijuurou-kun,” he began. “My lucky item.”

“Yes, the book. What about it?” Seijuurou kept walking.

“I don’t have it.” Shintarou tried not to panic. _The Complete Guide to Astrology_ was a huge book; it would have to be easy to find, even in this castle of a house, he reasoned. He could just ask one of the house staff. “I’m going to go find it.”

Seijuurou abruptly halted and looked back at him, alarm written all over his face. “No, don’t! There’s no need. I know where you left it.”

“Where?!”

“In the library. Wait until I show you back to the sitting room, then we’ll figure out a way to get it.”

Shintarou shook his head frantically. “I need it back as soon as possible.”

“The head butler almost certainly heard us in the library. He’ll have found your book.”

A sense of despair fell over him. If the butler had taken his book, there would be no way to retrieve it without having to explain how it got in the library. Then Shintarou would definitely get into trouble with his dad. Or maybe even worse, with the head of the mansion, Akashi Masaomi. 

“I need it back,” he told Seijuurou. “Cancer is ranked 9th today.”

“Horoscope rankings don’t really matter, you know,” Seijuurou said wryly. “So there’s no need to worry.”

Now a wave of indignation rushed through him. “It does matter! What do you know about it?” 

Seijuurou stopped walking and crossed his arms. “Astrology is unscientific. So that stuff about luck and horoscopes isn’t real.”

“It is too.”

The red-haired boy narrowed his eyes. “Then prove it.”

“Well…” Shintarou paused. “If I don’t have my lucky item, all sorts of bad things happen.” 

“That’s just coincidence.”

Now Shintarou crossed his arms too, mirroring the other boy. “Then prove that it _isn’t_ real.”

Seijuurou stared at him and was silent for a long time. In fact, Shintarou thought that he was never going to answer, and was just about to ask if he had given up, when Seijuurou held up a hand. “I suppose it can’t be proved right now,” he conceded. 

“Exactl—”

“However,” Seijuurou continued. “I’m sure I can show you the evidence later. For now we have to get back inside. They’ll start to get worried for real, and then there will be trouble. Come on.” 

Shintarou saw that there was no room for discussion, as it always was with Seijuurou. “Fine, but you have to help me find my book back then.”

Seijuurou gave a terse nod and started back down the path. Shintarou followed, keeping a short distance between them. They made the rest of the way out of the garden in stony silence. 

When they reached the white door they had exited from, Seijuurou stopped and said, “I’ve come up with a plan to get your book back.”

Shintarou blinked. 

“I’ll go get it from the head butler’s office.”

“But they’re all looking for you,” Shintarou reminded him. Not that he didn’t appreciate the thought, but he couldn’t imagine how Seijuurou would manage to take the book from right under the adults’ noses. 

“It’s fine. This is my house, you know.” Seijuurou smirked. 

Shintarou sincerely hoped that he didn’t have some other mischievous scheme in mind. While the secret passages were undoubtedly cool, he didn’t much look forward to going back into one. They were too dark and cramped.

As if reading his mind, Seijuurou said, “Don’t worry, you won’t have to come with me through the passages. I’ll tell you how to get back to the sitting room without running into anyone.”

“You’re going alone?” Shintarou’s voice went up a few notches at the idea of wandering around the castle-mansion by himself.

Seijuurou nodded. “It’s easier that way. And don’t worry about getting lost, either. After you enter the house, turn left. You’ll arrive at a long hallway. Take the first left, then go through a set of doors into the main hall. That’s where you first entered with your father, and you’ll see the sitting room from there.”

“I’ll definitely be caught if I go that way,” he protested.

Seijuurou gave him a strange look. “Caught? By who?”

“The butler. Or the maids.”

Seijuurou stared at him. Then he laughed, muffling the noise with a hand over his mouth. “Nobody’s going to punish _you_ for leaving the room, Shintarou-kun. You are a guest. Guests are allowed to walk around, you know.”

Shintarou flushed, embarrassed for what must be the tenth time. Now that Seijuurou had pointed it out, that was obvious. But how was he expected to know for sure, especially with how Seijuurou had been acting? 

“If someone asks, you can say that you are looking for the restroom,” Seijuurou said, still smiling in amusement.

Shintarou huffed and chose to enter the mansion instead of answering. He slipped inside and held the door open for Seijuurou, but the other boy didn’t move. “Come on. Aren’t you cold?”

Seijuurou shook his head. “Staff quarters are in the annex. Go ahead.” He waved and trotted away. 

Just like that, Shintarou was finally alone again. Looking both ways and seeing no sign of other people, Shintarou took a deep breath and turned left down the sunlit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> White Camellia — _tsubaki_ — "Perfect Beauty" "Impeccable Charm" "Reserved Kindness" "Pride"  
> White Peony — _botan "hakuoujishi"_ — "Sincerity" "Regal Presence" "Magnificence" "Bashfulness"  
> Kamchatka Fritillary — _kuroyuri_ — "Love" "Curse"  
> Forget-Me-Not — _wasurenagusa_ — "True Love" "Memories" "Don't Forget Me"


	4. The Castle

For the first time since he had entered the mansion, Shintarou allowed himself to relax, his heart rate slowing down to andante. Thanks to what Seijuurou had oh-so-tactfully told him, he no longer had to worry about running into anyone, unless it was his dad. Midorima Ryouhei might have some questions about what Shintarou was doing, wandering around this place all alone. And Shintarou knew that he would never be able to give his dad anything less than the full truth, which would likely get Seijuurou into trouble…

He shook his head and resolved to avoid his dad if at all possible. Why Seijuurou had to sneak around his own house was still a complete mystery, but that wasn’t his business. Still, Shintarou didn’t want to be the reason that Seijuurou got into trouble, even if the other boy was a bit too arrogant for his own good. It would feel like some sort of betrayal to tattle.

Halfway down the long hallway, Shintarou turned and reached the set of doors that Seijuurou had mentioned. Like all of the other doors he had seen in the house, these were also made of polished wood. He had assumed that the dark reddish-brown wood was mahogany, because he knew that mahogany was expensive. Shintarou decided to ask his dad later. He turned the golden doorknob, wondering whether it was made of real gold.

The heavy door sprang open, nearly knocking him over. In fact, Shintarou backed up so fast that he tripped and ended up falling over anyway. An unfamiliar pair of shiny black shoes stood before him.

“And what,” said a deep, powerful voice. “Are you doing here?”

Shintarou looked up into the stern face of a tall man dressed in a dark business suit. The man wore a slight frown as he examined Shintarou. His eyes matched the polished wood in color, but were about half as inviting. 

Scrambling up to his feet, Shintarou brushed himself off and bowed quickly. He stammered, “My apologies, sir. I—I was looking for the restroom, sir.” The switch to ultra-polite speech was as natural as breathing in front of the man’s intimidating presence. 

“Is that so.”

“Y-yes. I am Midorima Shintarou, sir,” he added, remembering that he was supposed to introduce himself first. 

“I am aware of that.” The man paused, then said, “I am Akashi Masaomi.”

Shintarou’s eyes widened. His heart decided to raise its tempo to a healthy allegro agitato, and he cursed the fact that he didn’t have his lucky item. Out of everyone in the mansion, he’d somehow managed to run into the king of the castle! 

Shintarou bowed again, more deeply this time. “Pleased to meet you, Akashi-san.” 

Akashi Masaomi inclined his head slightly. “Very well, Midorima Shintarou. Follow me.” He opened the door wider, and turned back the way he had come.

Relieved that he had escaped further questioning, Shintarou hurried through the door after the elder Akashi. His mind whirled. Apart from the intensity of his gaze and the authoritative confidence befitting his position, Akashi Masaomi came off as completely different from his son. Where Seijuurou was outspoken and bright in demeanor, this man was reserved and taciturn. They even looked nothing alike, the vivid red of Seijuurou’s hair and eyes sharply contrasting with Akashi Masaomi’s muted colors.

Shintarou hardly knew where he was walking until they stopped outside the sitting room. He blinked in surprise.

“There is a door to a restroom inside.”

Mortification shot through him, followed by a flash of indignation. Seijuurou had been joking with him about the bathroom! He would have _words_ with that boy, Shintarou internally fumed. Awkwardly, he thanked Akashi Masaomi and moved to enter the room.

“One moment.”

Shintarou stopped in his tracks. “Yes, Akashi-san.”

“Where is Seijuurou?”

His heartbeat accelerated to a frantic presto. Akashi Masaomi couldn’t have known that he’d been playing with Seijuurou. Shintarou recalled what the male voice outside the sitting room had been saying to the maid. _You know how upset Akashi-sama gets when the Young Master—_ What was Seijuurou supposed to be doing? Was Akashi-san going to be angry with him? Shintarou desperately wished that the maid hadn’t cut the man off. His mind raced to come up with a response.

Should he lie? Pretend not to know who Seijuurou was? Somehow, Shintarou sincerely doubted that would work. At the same time, he refused to betray Seijuurou to his father. He had no idea what their relationship was like, but why would Seijuurou be traveling through hidden passageways just to get around his own house?

“Well?” A note of impatience colored the man’s voice. He didn’t seem like the type that liked to be kept waiting.

Taking a big breath, Shintarou worked up his courage and said, “I-I’m sorry. I can’t tell you, sir.” He was proud that his voice barely trembled at all.

Akashi Masaomi’s gaze sharpened, and he raised an impressive eyebrow. (Now Shintarou understood where Seijuurou had learned that particular expression.) It went against all of his instincts, but Shintarou willed himself not to avert his eyes from the penetrating stare.

After what seemed like an eternity, Akashi Masaomi closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. “Very well. You may go.”

Some of the tension left Shintarou’s shoulders. He was hardly able to believe his luck.

“However,” Akashi Masaomi continued in a tone of warning. Shintarou straightened. “I am not fond of playing Hide and Seek. He may be young, but Seijuurou should understand the consequences of his actions.”

“Yes, sir,” Shintarou replied, unsure of what to do with the information. Whether or not Seijuurou understood “the consequences of his actions” hardly had to do with _him_.

Akashi Masaomi didn’t explain any further. As he turned to leave, he softly said, “It is for his own good.” And then he walked away, up the winding staircase, each one of his steps reverberating through the main hall like the beating of Shintarou’s heart in his chest.

He waited for the footsteps to fade away before returning to the room where it all started. Everything was just as Shintarou had left it: the dish of pastries on the table lay untouched, the painting above the mantelpiece remained closed, and orange tongues of flame still crackled in the fireplace. If Midorima Ryouhei returned at this very moment, he wouldn’t know a thing about the adventure his son had just undertaken. He breathed out in relief and walked towards the sofa, intending to rest and calm his nerves. 

Shintarou jumped and did a double take. 

_The Complete Guide to Astrology_ had been carefully placed on a sofa cushion. And right next to it laid Seijuurou, curled up into a ball on his side. His shoes were scattered haphazardly on the ground, one of them under the table and the other one near the fireplace. His eyes were screwed tightly shut. His face was as white as a sheet and beaded with sweat. His breathing was rapid and shallow. 

“Seijuurou-kun?” Shintarou knelt on the carpet by the sofa. “What happened?!”

Seijuurou didn’t give any indication that he noticed the other boy’s presence.

“Seijuurou-kun? What happened?” he repeated, bewildered and concerned. Just what in the world had happened in the past five minutes? To have reached the sitting room before him, Seijuurou must have ran all the way from the annex. Shintarou suspected that he’d gone through the tunnels again. 

When Seijuurou still didn’t respond, Shintarou tentatively reached out and lightly touched the back of his hand to Seijuurou’s forehead. He immediately recoiled, his mind flashing back to the hand-holding debacle in the garden. Seijuurou was burning up. 

The fire flared and crackled. Seijuurou’s eyes flew open at the contact. His pupils were dilated, nearly eclipsing the crimson irises. It took several seconds for him to find the boy right in front of him, and when he finally did, Shintarou had the unsettling feeling that Seijuurou was looking through him. 

“You have a fever,” he informed, hoping that Seijuurou was lucid enough to understand what he was saying.

“My mother,” Seijuurou whispered, his voice so faint that Shintarou had to lean in to hear. 

“Your mother?” Shintarou asked, puzzled.

There was a long pause, and then Seijuurou closed his eyes. “Get my mother,” he demanded, just as quietly as before, but nevertheless it was an order and Shintarou found himself standing up and walking to the door.

His finger rang the call bell. Less than twenty seconds passed before the maid from earlier appeared at the door. Shintarou opened his mouth, and the right words came to mind unbidden. “I wish to see Akashi-san, the lady of the house.”

The maid looked surprised, both by the content of the request and the tone in which he’d delivered it. Nevertheless, she bowed and replied, “Of course. I will check if Shiori-sama is available.”

It was only when the maid had left that Shintarou’s mind cleared, leaving him wondering at what had come over him. A chill ran down his spine. Apprehensively, he inched back towards the boy on the sofa.

“Thank you,” Seijuurou murmured, his eyes still closed.

Shintarou relaxed slightly. Seijuurou sounded normal enough, although tired from the fever. He asked cautiously, “Was that... you?”

Silence. 

“Seijuurou-kun?” Shintarou called, wondering if he’d fallen asleep. After half a minute, it became clear that a response was not forthcoming, so he tried again. “Seijuurou-kun? Are you awake?”

“I’m sorry,” Seijuurou finally mumbled. “I have to.”

“What are you talking about?” Shintarou asked, his voice rising in pitch. The other boy was starting to scare him. “What do you have to do?”

“My Gift.”

Shintarou started. Of course. His father’s sudden house call, the staff’s frantic search, the medical box in the garden, Seijuurou's evasiveness. The fever. 

He was Gifted.

 _It is for his own good._ Akashi Masaomi’s words echoed in his mind. Shintarou shot up to his feet, suddenly aware that he had been playing with fire. 

“Shintarou-kun.”

He looked up with a jolt. A pretty, unfamiliar woman stood at the door, her long red hair falling over her shoulders, disheveled as if blown back by the wind. She locked eyes with Shintarou. 

“Is Seijuurou here?” she asked, in a soft voice that immediately put Shintarou at ease.

He nodded numbly and gestured towards the sofa. The woman hurried towards them, holding up the folds of her long dress.

A small hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. Shintarou flinched and tried to pull away, but Seijuurou’s hand was a hot iron. 

“Seijuurou, let go of him,” the woman exclaimed, but Seijuurou only tightened his grip, his features contorted in pain. 

Shintarou felt a bead of sweat trickle down his face as he stared at Seijuurou’s pale countenance. His dad could help — where was his dad? Shintarou wanted to ask the woman, but a tug on his wrist drew his attention back to the sofa.

“Shintarou,” Seijuurou whispered. With tremendous effort, he beckoned with his free hand. Shintarou bit his lip and moved closer. 

“No, Shintarou-kun—” A hand rested on his shoulder, gently pulling him away. 

At the same time, Seijuurou opened his mouth and spoke a single, strained word into his ear. 

The fire flared, spilling out of the grates, filling the room with a rush of heat and amber light. The woman cried out in dismay. The hand around his wrist slackened. 

The inferno blazed white-hot, and the red-haired boy screamed. The next instant, the flames vanished from existence, leaving behind nothing but hazy black afterimages and the acrid scent of smoke.

* * *

Shintarou pressed his face up to the backseat window, the rims of his glasses clinking against the laminated glass. As the car approached the metal gates, he watched the stately, green-roofed manor gradually disappear from sight. A dark figure moved in one of the second-story windows.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the fog from his head. It felt as if he had woken up from a long and exceptionally strange dream.

“So, what did you think?” Midorima Ryouhei asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at his son. “Did you have fun?”

Shintarou hesitated. He couldn’t quite recall what he had done inside of the mansion. He’d been reading his book, and there was a maid, and… 

“I was sure you’d be talking my ear off by now,” Ryouhei said jokingly. When no reply was forthcoming, he put his foot on the brake and turned around. “Are you alright?”

Shintarou quickly nodded and told his dad, “It was fun. I must’ve fallen asleep, though, because the sofa was fancy and comfortable and the room was really warm.” 

Satisfied, Ryouhei started moving again. Shintarou craned his head, trying to get one last glimpse of the castle-like house. There was a flurry of movement in the same second-story window. Shintarou thought he saw the figure wave, but it was too far to tell for certain. He squinted, pushing his glasses up. 

The car passed through the gates, and the mansion disappeared from view. Shintarou turned back around and sighed, nagged by the feeling that he was forgetting something important. He traced the embossed lettering on his lucky item. Risking another lecture for reading in the car, he opened back up to his bookmark. 

A folded square of paper fell into his lap. Shintarou picked the paper up and peeked through the folds. A speck of pale blue peeked back out at him. Curious, he unfolded the little square, revealing a tiny, five-petaled blossom with a burst of yellow in the center. On the paper underneath, two lines of wobbly but careful hiragana spelled out in black ink:  


「わすれなぐさ」  
またあおう

As he scanned over the last line of the note, a small smile lifted the corners of his lips. Shintarou carefully placed the pale blue flower over the words and folded the paper back up.

“Dad, let’s go back to the castle someday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that Masaomi's birthday will be Halloween. 
> 
> Now, in all seriousness: While editing this chapter, I realized that it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Nevertheless, if those questions were addressed in this story, it would end up far longer than intended. Thus the abrupt conclusion. (Sorry!) In the not-so-near future, however, everything shall be answered.
> 
> " _Wasurenagusa_ "  
> Let's meet again

**Author's Note:**

> Third time's the charm?
> 
> This is my third, and so far longest, attempt at fictional writing. "The Castle of Minato Ward" is practice for a larger project, which is set closer to the canon timeline.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
